I was told that serotonin could leave the brain, but upon further research couldn't find good evidence of serotonin leaving the brain to affect the body. So I've edited my comment again to remove the claim of one-way transport across the BBB. Maybe that's cutting-edge neuroscience that isn't easy to find information about, but for now I've made my answer more generalized.

Yes triptans can cause serotonin syndrome. It's quite rare but if your doctor thinks you have too many risk factors, they may prefer to try other classes of medications.

More oxygen IS good if you're actually in a life-or-death situation. We have an adrenoline response which increases breathing/heart rate and can help us react quickly and not notice pain/tiredness as easily. This response is meant to be brief/rare.

Unfortunately chronic anxiety is the body thinking it's in peril, when it's really not. And it can get stuck in panic mode long-term, which puts a lot of strain on the body. So breathing slowly can send a signal back to your brain of "no, we're not in danger. We can relax." And we can self regulate that anxiety.

There's no issue with peeling veggies over the trash can. Unless you're a klutz like me, and will inevitably drop the veggie into the trash and then have to decide it it's safe/worth it to wash and keep using.

Unfortunately there are a lot of myths around sugar. It doesn't really provide an energy boost, and certainly doesn't provide any benefit to focus/attention. Shifting one's diet away from sugar/caffeine and having more protein and fiber is generally good for energy/attention.

Great additions, I didn't know the blood-brain barrier was a one-way valve for those molecules. I've generally heard Oxytocin labeled as "the love hormone" though, not dopamine. Oxytocin is the one most associated with affection/social-bonding and arousal. Dopamine is definitely part of the reward pathways in the brain, so it can reinforce behaviors that provide short-term excitement/happiness like gambling or excessive shopping.

Well it's a super complicated organ and not evolved to deal with the constant abstract fears/stressors humans are exposed to nowadays with work, money, etc. So while medication can help, it's really some fundamental issues with our society that perpetuates the anxiety/depression epidemic.

Basically, yeah. Tryptophan is an amino acid our bodies use to create serotonin. It's present in a lot of foods, and chicken actually has more of it than turkey (we just associate turkey with being tired because it's normally consumed along with a ton of other rich salty food, on a busy social holiday).

We kind of do, but it's tricky. "Pure" Serotonin and dopamine can't cross the blood-brain barrier. Your brain makes these neurotransmitters for itself, and doesn't get them from elsewhere in the body (serotonin is made and used elsewhere in the body too, but can't travel from body to brain). So you'd have to somehow inject these chemicals directly into the brain, OR modify them slightly so they can cross the barrier. L-dopa is a modified version of dopamine used for Parkinsons. Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin that can cross the blood-brain barrier and then be converted to serotonin, and we have used this for many drugs - especially antidepressants. So yes we kind of do give people more direct forms of those neurotransmitters. But unfortunately because these drugs have to enter the body somewhere outside the brain, they can have effects on other organ systems too. Serotonin in particular is made and used by a lot of body systems. Triggering serotonin release in other parts of the body can have bad effects on blood pressure / vessel constriction, among other things.

*Edited to remove misinformation about serotonin being able to go in direction of brain to body. Couldn't find good evidence of this.

A lot of math classes introduce the theory/logic of math but don't offer many opportunities to apply it to practical scenarios. I was awful at math in school. Now as a researcher, math makes a lot more sense because it's in context. Also there's unfortunately a cultural contribution to math fear. Of all the subjects, math is generally promoted as the hardest. And speaking from experience, girls/women are often even more intimidated by it because we hear BS lies throughout our childhoods that we're not as "logical/math-inclined."

Cooking a cake or bread removes a lot of the water and leaves behind a strengthened network of stabilized protein/starch that got "glued" together with the heat. This is a chemical reaction where molecules are actually changing, which is different from a "phase shift" from liquid to solid in which the substance stays chemically the same.

Why is Pierre the worst character in Stardew?

Baking is one of my big hobbies and I have definitely made similar mistakes. Don't worry, we've all been there. Maybe try making the cake again a different day, and enjoy a belated birthday.

UV radiation is part of sunlight, and the UV-index is a measure of how direct the sunlight will be hitting you when you go outside, related to angle and cloud conditions. If the UV index is low, it means you can spend more time outside before sunburn becomes a risk, while high UV means burns can happen very quickly. If you're spending a lot of time outside, it's best to wear sunscreen even on low UV days. If the UV index is high, you should take more precautions. The sun can also hurt your eyes, so hats/sunglasses are important. People with blue eyes might find that we need sunglasses even on low UV days because our lack of melanin makes our eyes more vulnerable to light.

Gases like oxygen can diffuse (wiggle their way) into our bloodstream if the membrane protecting our blood is thin enough. That's how our lungs work. They're big sacks with lots of surface area where the oxygen can easily wiggle its way into our capillaries through very thin tissue. Water also usually has lots of oxygen floating around in it, just like in air. It's not the H2O molecules providing oxygen, it's the O2 that's also in the water. So instead of having lungs to inhale air, fish pass the water over similarly "thin membranes" (in their gills) close to their blood, and the oxygen can diffuse into it. Gills don't really work outside of water since it's harder to get air to move through them in the same way. Hence the evolution of lungs.

There's no "best" order. I started with TOS but it's a turnoff to many new viewers due to how outdated/campy it can be. I think TNG is the best place to start since it's the "cozy/family" Trek, is more modern than TOS, but still feels nostalgic and isn't "doom and gloom" all the time. After that, I'd go with DS9 then Voyager, and then maybe loop back around to TOS.

I'm on a punny Star Trek theme right now: "Baaashir" the sheep, "Quarck" the duck, "Neighrys" the horse, "Pigard" the pig, you get the idea :)

I'm on my 6th play through so I've gotten pretty uncreative. My farm is Hazel Tree Farm. My farmer is Hazel. And her favorite thing is- you guessed it- hazel nuts

It's a lot more effort to use the baby carrots. Harder to get a nice flat edge to make cutting safe/fast. I think the taste would be fine and it works if you already have those carrots on hand. But I don't think it's a shortcut by any means, especially if you invest in a julienne peeler to use on big carrots

Sure, that analogy works pretty well

Does she bake cookies, pretzels, or macarons? If so, silicone baking mats would be a great gift. Also rubber spatulas in a range of sizes. And extra measuring cups/spoons because I know I never seem to have enough sets.

Hing/asafoetida is a good option for a deeply cooked garlicky flavor. A little bit goes a long way.

Is she allergic to all alliums or just garlic? Could you try leeks or chives? They're more oniony than garlicky but at least have a little more of that sweet peppery taste. Good substitute for garlic in things like pasta, garlic bread, dips, salad dressing.

Do you think I could jump in at season 3? I similarly didn't like the vibe of season 1 and gave up, but would give the later seasons a chance if it's not hard to get my bearings

If you're already sick (like with the flu), inhaling a tiny bit of your own breath won't make a difference. Your body is already full of viruses, and on high alert, working hard to fight it off. It can handle a few extra viruses. But if a healthy person walks by and breathes it in, their body isn't as "primed" as yours and the infection has a better chance to multiply before the immune system ramps up.

And no, don't over-use cleanliness measures. It's good to change sheets weekly just because your own sweat/grime will build up. But changing sheets daily and using a ton of soap/sanitizer won't help keep you healthy. If anything, it will be worse because your immune system isn't getting "exercised". Just stay generally clean and wash your hands after touching raw meat, dirt, bathrooms, etc.

In the animal kingdom, we certainly do see traits become more exaggerated due to female preference. It can get to the point where traits (like long tails) actually impede male fitness ("Runaway Sexual Selection"). So there's a balance between female preference, vs. males being able to survive long enough to mate. If a trait is so exaggerated (like your long teeth example) that it causes the males to die before they can mate successfully, then "shorter toothed" males will end up being the ones who actually mate successfully, and their genes will become more prominent - keeping tooth size from getting out of control. So that's how it generally happens. It's a combination of female preference vs. what males are actually available vs. what allows males to be attractive but still live long enough to have lots of offspring.

But be very careful when trying to apply "general rules of animal behavior" to humans. We are animals, but much more socially complex than the rest of animals. Both men and women certainly have preferences, but it's rare that you'll only have a few options to choose from and be able to pick based on just a couple criteria (e.g. height or hair color). We have a LOT more options for partners and a LOT of criteria to take into account. While someone may prefer a taller partner if they envisioned their ideal mate, many other factors may outweigh that in reality.